Chapitre 32: 32. Potion Concoction: Sore Thumb
"My secret?" Blaze asked calmly as he returned to his nonchalant demeanor.
"Yea. You must have killed somebody," Aurora said with a smile.
"Good discovery," Blaze said while staring at her like she was a fool.
"I want to discover all your secrets. I know you're hiding something big," Aurora suddenly added.
'What a sharp intuition,' Blaze commended.
"Then you will have to take off my clothes," Blaze replied truthfully, but it sounded different and had a different meaning in everybody's head.
All the girls on the table blushed. Robin gave Blaze a thumbs up. Aurora gritted her teeth in anger, as she squeezed her fist so hard that her knuckles turned red.
"Okay, I'm leaving." Blaze stood up and left the girls.
Blaze walked through the spatial gate and made his way to his room.
After he got to his room, he started trying to make a sword and made sure to sharpen the edges. His previous creation during the battle was too blunt to be used in real-life battles.
He didn't forget to refill his core as he absorbs mana slowly at the moment.
———
The next day, Blaze got to the class and sat in his regular position. Some strands of his hair fell across his face.
Yvonne walked through the spatial gate.
"Today, you're going to be learning about potions. Potion can be used to improve many things including mana absorption and power level. As for those without any healing element, potions are crucial for survival when you go out in the wild," Yvonne introduced.
"Let's go to the Potion lab," Yvonne said and walked through the spatial gate. Blaze noticed that the spatial gate could be reconfigured. The position is not fixed.
When they entered the Potion lab, Blaze nearly mistook it for the lab of a chemist, seeing beakers suspended on stands.
"We will be making the simplest potion today – Mana recovery potion. Mana recovery potion is merely a potion to increase the speed of absorption from the surroundings. The working principle is easy
"It makes your core have the same mana signature as the external surrounding mana. That way, the wild mana won't riot in your mana veins when they flow into your core, easy right?" Yvonne's question made everybody's face contort.
Yvonne quickly added as she saw that her explanation of the working principle made things look difficult instead of becoming easier, "Uhmm… you know what? Forget about the explanation and let's move to the practical aspect. That way, you will know why I tagged it as easy. As I said before, it's one of the easiest potions to make,"
"The content of the potion is a D-rank mana essence. You put it in an Enchanted Flask and heat it till it turns pale blue. Easy right?" Yvonne asked, and everybody nodded.
'Why didn't we just say we are boiling water instead of making something so complicated? Her previous explanation sounds like we are building a gigantic transformer,' Blaze thought.
Blaze suddenly raised his hand.
"Yes, Blaze. What's the matter?" Yvonne asked.
"How are water mages better here? I just heard about heating. Doesn't that mean flames?" Blaze asked.
"Water mages could make the potion boil faster without fire. Didn't Aria teach you about the addition and removal of heat? You can connect with the liquid and perform the same act, but it's not your level now," Yvonne replied, making Blaze recall the addition of heat.
Slowly, Yvonne poured a transparent liquid, which she called D-rank mana essence. After which, she used the flame inscription to heat the Enchanted Flask while suspending it with manakinesis.
Blaze found out that the Enchanted Flask in the lab was thicker than regular beakers on Earth and also archaic.
After it boiled for three minutes, the mixture turned pale blue. Blaze was already hating the idea of staying in the lab. In his previous life, he hated anything about chemistry.
"Here, we have a D-rank mana recovery potion." Yvonne raised the Enchanted Flask filled with pale blue liquid, with a smile plastered on her lips.
"Cooked water?" Robin's voice sounded from the back, blurting what was on Blaze's mind.
"You guys should try it," Yvonne said with a smile which made Blaze feel uneasy.
Everybody began. The only effort was spent on holding the Enchanted Flask in its position and controlling the flames.
After heating for five minutes, Blaze noticed his own turning pink.
'Hell! This is one plus one equals three,' Blaze screamed inwardly and increased the flames. Surprisingly, it turned green. 'Jeez!'
Blaze had to turn to the side to make sure he wasn't the only person getting, a 'one-plus-one-equals-three solution'.
Blaze directed his attention towards Aurora initially, for she was the sole indomitable presence persistently pestering him. To his astonishment, the mana essence of Aurora's potion had taken on a remarkably delicate hue of pale blue.
Blaze found himself utterly flabbergasted, for it was not Aurora's mana essence transformation that left him astounded. Rather, the shock of his existence surged through him when he inspected each individual in his vicinity, only to discover that they, too, possessed the peculiar pale blue liquid. In stark contrast, Blaze's pinkish-green concoction stood out conspicuously, resembling a sore thumb amidst the sea of azure. A quiver coursed through his cheek, causing an involuntary spasm, as even the typically unserious Robin carried the pale blue potion within his Enchanted Flask.
"Hahahaha," Aphrodite giggled gleefully as she held her tummy and stood beside him. "Your expression is like a person who just witnessed a talking stone that's performing acrobatics."
"Blaze, what do we have here?" Yvonne approached Blaze.
Blaze brought his face close to the Enchanted Flask, his eyes fixated on its intricate details. After a few moments of intense scrutiny, he replied, never breaking his gaze from the flask, "Even I don't know. You're asking the wrong person."
Yvonne's laughter reverberated through the room, causing the students' faces to contort with a mix of surprise and discomfort. Blaze had dared to make a joke with the principal, a person known for her intimidating presence and another formidable identity.
Blaze, on the other hand, had a perplexed expression etched upon his face. His confusion stemmed from the fact that his comment was not intended as a joke—it was simply the truth.
"This is because you weren't paying attention. If you were paying attention, you would notice I heated and paused after a specific interval. But you heated it uniformly," Yvonne explained.
"So one plus one really equals two?" Blaze blurted with raised eyebrows.
"What?" Yvonne questioned in confusion.
"Nothing. Can I drop this course?" Blaze suddenly asked.
"No, under normal circumstances, such a request would be denied. However, given our fortuitous encounter, I am inclined to make an exception," Yvonne remarked, her smile unwavering. "However, in exchange for this favor, I shall require a single request to be granted by you at a later time," she added, maintaining her pleasant demeanor. The students in the vicinity cast peculiar gazes upon both Yvonne and Blaze, clearly bewildered by the unfolding interaction.
"I will only fulfill the request if it doesn't cause me any discomfort or jeopardize my well-being," Blaze stated firmly, not wanting to foolishly fall into any potential trap.
"Sure," Yvonne nodded, her interest in Blaze piqued. While other students, including the nobles, would grant the request without a second thought, Blaze's insistence on setting a condition showcased his level-headedness. However, Yvonne found herself puzzled by Blaze's reaction to Liam's false accusation at the blacksmith lab, which ultimately resulted in a physical confrontation. Trying to assess Blaze's personality was proving to be a challenging task, causing Yvonne a headache.
"But I would strongly urge you to remain for the forthcoming potion concoction. Who knows, perhaps the potion may alter your perspective," Yvonne suggested with a hint of persuasion.
Blaze pondered for a moment, deliberating upon the choice of staying or departing from the scene.
Unexpectedly, Aphrodite, who had been exploring the laboratory, emerged beside Blaze promptly.
"It appears that trouble is approaching your doorstep," Aphrodite whispered, her words laced with concern. "I have overheard a student mentioning that Duke Andrew, Liam's father, is on his way here. It would be wise for you to leave quickly."
"So, what's your answer?" Yvonne asked.
After a moment of reflection, Blaze smiled and replied, addressing both Yvonne and Aphrodite simultaneously. "I'm staying. Let's see how it goes."
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone